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No. 7 Michigan State at No. 3 Oregon (4:30 p.m., Ch. 13) • Oregon is known for its nimble spread offense, while Michigan State is known for its stout 4-3 defense.
But it's not as simple as offense versus defense between the Ducks and the Spartans, who meet Saturday afternoon in Eugene. Both teams have become known as innovators on opposite sides of the ball.
For Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, there's truth in the old cliche: Defense wins championships. It certainly worked last season when the Big Ten-champion Spartans beat Stanford 24-20 in the Rose Bowl.
Oregon, meanwhile, has been perfecting its no-huddle spread since former coach Chip Kelly began tinkering with it in 2007 as offensive coordinator. The Ducks have found the perfect leader in dual-threat quarterback Marcus Mariota.
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No. 14 USC at No. 13 Stanford (1:30 p.m., Ch. 4) • The coaches have changed, and so have the players. The drama has remained the same.
In a series that dates back to 1905, Stanford-Southern California has been among college football's best matchups in recent years. The games have featured action-packed performances, verbal confrontations and usually major implications in conference and national championship races.
The programs will begin another chapter in their long-running rivalry Saturday when new coach Steve Sarkisian and the Trojans (1-0) visit Stanford (1-0) for an early season Pac-12 showdown.
As if the series needed another subplot, Sarkisian's addition is giving it an extra twist.
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Michigan at No. 16 Notre Dame (5:30 p.m., Ch. 5) • The Wolverines and the Irish have a shot at a big finish.
The teams started playing each other in 1887 and are meeting for the 42nd time Saturday, with no more games scheduled. The games usually have been close, with half of the past 24 games decided by five points or less. During a three-game span from 2009-11, each game was decided in the final minute. Michigan won all three of those and leads the series 24-16-1. —
Saturday's TV games
• Oklahoma at Tulsa, 10 a.m., Ch. 4
• Missouri at Toledo, 10 a.m., ESPN
• Akron at Penn St., 10 a.m., ESPN2
• McNeese St. at Nebraska, 10 a.m., ESPNU
• Cent. Michigan at Purdue, 10 a.m., ESPNews
• SMU at North Texas, 10 a.m., ROOT
• Kansas St. at Iowa St., 10 a.m., FS1
• Fresno St. at Utah, 1 p.m., Pac-12
• Southern Cal at Stanford, 1:30 p.m., Ch. 4
• Ball St. at Iowa, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
• Ohio at Kentucky, 1:30 p.m., ESPNU
• Missouri St. at Oklahoma St., 1:30 p.m., ROOT
• Georgia Tech at Tulane, 2 p.m., ESPNews
• Mississippi at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
• Michigan St. at Oregon, 4:30 p.m., Ch. 13
• San Jose St. at Auburn, 5 p.m., ESPN2
• East Carolina at South Carolina, 5 p.m., ESPNU
• BYU at Texas, 5:30 p.m., FS1
• Michigan at Notre Dame, 5:30 p.m., Ch. 5
• Idaho St. at Utah St. 6 p.m., MWN
• Virginia Tech at Ohio St., 6 p.m., ESPN
• San Diego St. at North Carolina, 6 p.m., ESPNews
• Memphis at UCLA, 8 p.m., Pac-12
• Colorado St. at Boise St., 8:15 p.m., ESPN2
• Air Force at Wyoming, 8:15 p.m., ESPNU
• Texas Tech at UTEP, 9 p.m., FS1